Unfortunately, when talking about your baby, there are some important and potentially dangerous things that must be brought to your attention.
Teratogens and Their Effects on Your Baby
According to Santrock (2010) teratogens are agents that can potentially cause birth defects or negatively alter cognitive and behavioral outcomes of your baby.(pg 74)
These agents include:
These agents include:
- Drugs
- Incompatible blood types
- Environmental pollutants
- Infectious diseases
- Nutritional deficiencies
- Maternal stress
- Advanced maternal/paternal age
(Santrock, 2009;pg. 74)
Diet, Nutrition & Exercise
Everyone knows when a woman is pregnant, she needs to eat more to support the growth of the baby and maintain a healthy, functioning body. A mom-to-be will have the appetite for two and may experience some odd cravings. Such as dill pickles and peanut butter or eggrolls and ice cream (yuck!). However, shoveling empty calories into your body is not the best option. When considering how much you eat, you must also consider what you eat because everything you eat, your unborn child is eating as well. You would be better off eating a couple of salads and nutritious fruit throughout the day, and snacking in between meals with nuts and vegetables; versus going to McDonalds and eating 4 McDoubles and an oreo McFlurry.
Just because you’re expecting, doesn’t mean you have to stop or choose not to work out. In fact, exercise is very important to pregnant women. If you were an avid exerciser prior to becoming pregnant it is considered to be healthy to continue your regimen as long as it is not resulting in any problems for you or your child. Women that were not active prior to getting pregnant should consult their physician to assure their child is not as risk.
Exercising while pregnant has many advantages! It can help you:
Just because you’re expecting, doesn’t mean you have to stop or choose not to work out. In fact, exercise is very important to pregnant women. If you were an avid exerciser prior to becoming pregnant it is considered to be healthy to continue your regimen as long as it is not resulting in any problems for you or your child. Women that were not active prior to getting pregnant should consult their physician to assure their child is not as risk.
Exercising while pregnant has many advantages! It can help you:
- Reduce back pain
- Give you more energy
- Reduce constipation
- Help you sleep better
- Strengthen your muscles
- Prepare your body for birthing
- Get back into those pre-pregnancy skinny jeans!
Stress
Being a parent is a stressful situation and the 9 months leading up to it is no less stressful. Stress causes chemical reactions in the body that can have adverse effects on the developing baby. Miscarriage, early labor and premature birth are three huge possible outcomes of a high-stress life. There are some measures that can be taken to lower your stress level. Yoga, aquarobic exercise and meditation are three gentle possibilities to help reduce stress. Consulting your physician is important so your baby can monitored for problems as well.
Prenatal Care
A big part of pregnancy is prenatal care. Prenatal care is, simply put, the care you receive while you are pregnant. It is highly recommended that you check in with your doctor regularly.
The five most important things you can do before becoming pregnant are:
While pregnant, remember to check in with your doctor. Take a multivitamin as your baby will need all the help you can give it. Drink lots and lots of water, and choose fruits and veggies over those greasy fast food options.
The five most important things you can do before becoming pregnant are:
- Take 400 to 800 micrograms (400 to 800 mcg or 0.4 to 0.8 mg) of folic acid every day for at least 3 months before getting pregnant to lower your risk of some birth defects of the brain and spine. You can get folic acid from some foods, but it is difficult to get all the folic acid needed from foods alone. Taking a vitamin with folic acid is the best and easiest way to be sure you're getting enough.
- Stop smoking and drinking alcohol. Ask your doctor for help if you feel you cannot stop on your own.
- If you have a medical condition, be sure it is monitored during your pregnancy and is kept under control. Some conditions including asthma, diabetes, depression, high blood pressure, obesity, thyroid disease, or epilepsy can be easily monitored by your professional caregiver. Be sure your vaccinations are up to date.
- Talk to your doctor about any over-the-counter and prescription medicines you are using. These include dietary or herbal supplements. Some medicines are not safe during pregnancy so every medicine should be checked to assure no harm will be done to your unborn child. At the same time, if you abruptly stop taking medicines you need without consulting your doctor, it may cause harm as well.
- Avoid contact with toxic substances or materials at work and at home that could be harmful. Stay away from chemicals and cat or rodent feces.
While pregnant, remember to check in with your doctor. Take a multivitamin as your baby will need all the help you can give it. Drink lots and lots of water, and choose fruits and veggies over those greasy fast food options.
Stages of Childbirth
Labor moves forward in three clear stages.
- The First stage is when contractions gradually open up the neck of your uterus. It consists of early Labor, active Labor and the transitional phase.
- The Second stage is when you push your baby out into the world.
- The Third Stage is when you deliver the placenta.
Videos!
This video talks about how drugs can have significant effects on your unborn child. The doctors in this show are medical professionals and explain in detail how drugs cause harm during pregnancy.
This video explains a little bit more about epigenetics. Exactly what makes us who we are?